Occasion: The long Memorial Day weekend called for a special outing, so we decided to meet beer-loving friends for a hike around Teddy Roosevelt Island followed by a first-time visit to Port City.

Beers Sampled: $10 gets you 6 taster glasses in the large brewery tasting room, plus I went back to the bar for a few more. I sampled:

OptimalWit, a refreshing Belgian-style White Ale (4.9%)

Tartan Ale, a traditional Scottish Ale (5.0%)

Essential Pale Ale, an American Pale Ale (5.5%)

Northwest IPA, a West Coast IPA (5.3%)

Monumental IPA, an English-style IPA (6.3%)

Maniacal Double IPA, an intensely-hoppy Double IPA (8.5%)

Long Black Veil, a Black IPA (6.8%)

Porter, a strong Robust porter (7.2%)

Colossal IV, a Belgian-style Quad (9.5%)

It took me way too long to finally visit Port City, so I made the most of my visit, enjoying the strong brews and the hoppy IPAs. I just wished I could have stayed longer! But on a warm spring day, I went home with a growler of the award-winning Optimal Wit.